Mobile Power Improvisation
One often sees improvised power in urban contexts. Whether the “Diablitos” in Mexico or “Gato” in Portugal, tapping into the local power grid, usually from a street lamp, is pretty standard urban improvisation.
Often, though, it happens in locales that are somewhat impoverished — siphoning a bit of juice from “the man” to power a street party or some such.
Here, I found a
Design for Mobile
This was a peculiar sequence captured while waiting for the uptown N in New York City. This gentleman was enjoying a bit of mobile computing, composing something there while waiting for
About
- This is the notebook for The Near Future Laboratory, a design, development and research consultancy that combines strategy, analysis with design with rapid prototyping. We're a think/make design practice focusing on digital interaction designs based on "weak signals" from the fringes of digital culture, where the near-future already exists. We turn those weak signals into physical form by rapidly constructing prototypes of innovative designs for near-future products and services. Our goal is to synthesize provocative new designs and prototypes based on insight and analysis of cultural trends.
Projects
- Flavonoid Small time-motion-touch sensing device that translate physical activity in the real world into digital form. An investigation in how 1st life and 2nd, online life can be linked in various playful ways.
- Slow Messenger Messages sent are revealed through a pocket device based on how much time you have spent holding and carrying the device. An investigation in various strategies by which the digital age can consider the spirit of affinity from pre-digital correspondence. Part of The Near Future Laboratory's Ironics line of lifestyle mobile devices.
- MobZombies is a hand-held video game in which zombies are chasing the player and the player is a human joystick. By running and turning, the player controls the on-screen avatar. The game uses a custom sensor board, Bluetooth and runs as a J2ME application. An experiment in post-GUI interaction, and less about augmented reality.
- PSX is a game controller designer for the PS2. The controller must be "fueled" before play with the use of an attachable Flavonoid. By carrying Flavonoid with you, you generate fuel for the controller. The controller will "play" only as long as there is fuel available. When the fuel begins to run out, the controller behaves sluggishly and finally gives out completely. Part of The Near Future Laboratory's Ironics line of lifestyle mobile devices.
- Geotag Things — Your Paths, Your Spaces, Your Destinations. Using a simple Yahoo maps mashup, people can create and manage location-specific rss feeds. It's a way for the web to identify geo-specific content, and a way for people to add location-based metadata to any resource on the Internet that has a URL.
- Small Town
- Early Work